With Trouba I ask myself if he sucks so bad why did Rangers make him the captain?
No one else wanted it and he was willing.
@bleedblue94 said it too, that the leader doesn't necessary have to be the best player.
NYR were without a captain from 2018-2022 after trading McDonagh. A's the 1st season post-McDonagh (2018-19) were Kreider, Zib, Fast, Zuke, M. Staal.
Trouba and Panarin came to NYR for the start of the 2019-2020 season. A's the 2nd season were the same minus Zuke.
3rd season in 2020-21, Fast and Staal are out. Trouba and Panarin got A's with Kreider and Zib.
4th season of no captain in 2021-22 is when the lack of one voice/group leader really starts showing. We have Kreider, Zib, Panarin, Trouba, Goodrow, and Strome with A's. I guess they had a contest across a week and whoever took the biggest shit each day was awarded an A. On the 7th day, they all rested.
5th season Trouba was named captain. I'd imagine he was approached and said "Yea sure, if no one else wants it, I'll take it." He happened to be the one guy who was comfortable with the added responsibility/leadership/etc.
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This team has leaders, no doubt, but none of them seem to be able to or want to command a group. My only evidence for that was being without a captain for 4 years. That's something very few other teams/organizations have ever done during any period of their existences. I went through every team and..
The Bruins went 6 years without a named captain in the 60s/70s, where Johnny Bucyk looks to have relinquished captaincy after the 1966-67 season for a group of A's (himself, Phil Esposito, and a rotating 3rd/4th A). So they had a captain in Bucyk, he gave up the title for 6 seasons, and then was again named captain through the early 70s.
The Pens went 4 years without a captain also in the 60s/70s (literally right after they came into the league).
The Blackhawks went 5 seasons without a captain in the early 70s (wtf was up with teams in the 60s/70s?).
The Wild went their first 7 seasons without a captain in the 00s.
The Leafs have had a couple stretches of 3 seasons without a captain (in the 80s and mid-2010s).
Does having a captain instantly make a team decent/good? Absolutely not, but it's at least someone that can be looked to and creates a standard. Again does that mean the standard is decent/good? No, but at least it gives people that sense of structure to follow. And that's crucial to the wellbeing and success of a team.